For Young Adult Participants

The Community School’s unique program is organized into peer communities, known as cohorts. These cohorts gather together participants who have common goals and similar profiles. Each cohort may include middle and high school age participants; each cohort may also include young adult participants who have finished secondary school and are working on goals related to independence, career, or college.

For young adults, TCS offers a program to help young adults develop a strong sense of self while strengthening relationship skills, and working on goals related to college, career, and independence.

The Piedmont group is a cohort of individuals who have significant academic and cognitive strengths, who may also struggle with emotional regulation and relationship skills. As a group, they may be seen as underachievers, as many they are often viewed as not taking full advantage of their strengths. Young adult Piedmont participants may be attending college or aspiring to attend college. They may be seeking work experience or support developing a career. They may be transitioning to living outside of their caregivers’ home. With the right support, they can make excellent progress towards the goal of independent, emotionally balanced participation in adulthood.

The Candler group is a cohort of individuals who have great strengths and a wide range of interests, who may also struggle with emotional regulation, fully engaged social communication, and developing a sense of self. As a group, their abilities may be overlooked, and they may not always be given their deserved opportunities for independence. Participants in the Candler group may rely on a wider variety of support for a longer period in their lives, and may not expect to live fully independently. Nevertheless, they are often capable of strengthening their relationship skills and their ability to lead purposeful, happy, more independent lives. Young adult participants in this cohort are generally working on strengthening their processing abilities and their functional skills, as well as improving their capacity for fully reciprocal communication, critical thinking, and complex logical problem-solving. They may also be seeking work experience, a sense of purpose in life, a greater connection to community, and the opportunity to live outside their caregivers’ home.

The Oakhurst group is a cohort of individuals who, like the Piedmont group, has solid cognitive strengths and the potential to be fully independent. Like the Candler group, their need for support is relatively greater, and their progress towards independence may be more deliberate and more highly supported.

The Kirkwood group is a small cohort of individuals who are not quite ready for full participation in a peer community, but who appear to have the capacity to grow into that participation. Kirkwood participants may have a wide range of strengths and a wide range of challenges, and generally receive primarily one-to-one support when they first begin attending the program.